Local Election Survey 2018 – Candidates
We’re surveying candidates in Greater Manchester for the 2018 election. Find out more about the survey.
Below is a summary of the responses across the areas of Greater Manchester. Where a candidate has already responded, you can see their response. If your candidates haven’t yet responded, follow the Twitter link to ask them to!
processClimate Change
Undecided
These are difficult and challenging targets, especially as little has been done to encourage the switch away from carbon based power generation under the Tory governments since 2010, and subsidy and investment for renewables has been decreased. Investment in retrofit would help to reduce emissions, fuel poverty, and including renewables in social housing schemes could assist this, along with delivering locally produced small to medium municipal power, cutting bills and generating revenue for local authorities. All this work requires the skills of high value trades and would enable investment in new apprenticeships and increased employment opportunities.
Divestment from Fossil Fuels
Yes! See my previous answer. Financially, climate change is a massive risk and the huge economic costs of the social and political upheaval that would result from, say, a 4 degree rise, resulting desertification, starvation and instability in large swathes of the equatorial zones of the planet - with conflict likely across large parts of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Central and South America would make the Mediterranean refugee crisis look like a storm in a tea cup. There are huge economic and real politic benefits to mitigating this coming disaster as well as the obvious moral and humanitarian ones.
Walking and Cycling
Undecided
I fully support the goals and I am agreement on the benefits - however, without a change of government or a complete reversal in the Tory attitude to local government funding it seems unlikely we could match these ambitious plans with the funding commitment set out here, in the context of continuing cuts imposed from central government and the need to protect other front line services like Adult Health and Social Care, Children's Services, and aiding the victims of the brutal assault on the welfare state, unemployed, sick and disabled with Universal Credit and related DWP policies.
Air Quality
This is a great idea, and we should also consider if we can provide a school bus service to reduce congestion and parking problems as well as traffic pollution.
Biodiversity
Absolute no brainer, save the bees!
Plastics
This was the subject of a recent debate and agreed by the council in March. It also featured in the GM green summit. There may be some difficulties in some areas but we need to find innovative solutions. I am very keen on the Macaway road tar product produced using non recyclable plastics. It is harder wearing than normal bitumen tar, uses less of this polluting carbon based product and reuses plastic which would otherwise go to landfill or incineration.
Aviation
We cannot allow the exponential growth of aviation based pollution if we are to hit targets on reducing global emissions. Aviation must change, and we need to see its growth slow until it can be transformed into a less carbon heavy mode of transport.
Energy Efficiency
This is a great goal, but will be challenging, and the funding will be hard to find. Retrofit of existing buildings is very important, but we need new homes particularly social housing, and a far higher level of investment or changes to borrowing and council house receipts must be put in place to allow new homes to be built to this standard.